The Blue Collar Comedy Tour began traveling around the country in 2000, and it continued for just over six years. World-renowned comics Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White took the world by storm–but the year after the tour ended, Engvall wanted to keep things going. Engvall employed four new, young comics as he hoped to reinvigorate the tour and the comedy. The comics were John Caparulo, Reno Collier, Jamie Kaler, and Juston McKinney. While the tour never lived up to the success of its predecessor, one of the acts, Caparulo found himself turning heads, and creating comedy of his own–John Caparulo: Meet Cap is proof that he had found himself, and viewers around the world were ready to see him headline his own show.
Comedy is subjective, I’ve said it time and time again–and it’s unfair to necessarily say what is and isn’t funny, because what comedy may appeal to some may not appeal to everyone else. Caparulo, however, has a way with words–in the simplest possible way. John Caparulo: Meet Cap hears Caparulo use the phrase “fuckers” at least half a dozen times, and while that’s an incredibly common, unsophisticated term, it’s generally considered to be funny.
Much like that commonly used phrase, Caparulo regularly relies on rudimentary comedy to appeal to his viewers. This isn’t to say that Caparulo himself, or even his viewers, are elementary–but simply that he knows how to appeal to his viewers. John Caparulo: Meet Cap, while on the surface is clearly simple comedy, is well thought out, and incredibly deliberate comedy, geared toward a very particular audience.
There’s no doubt in my mind that there were members of Caparulo’s audience that failed to appreciate the comedy present throughout John Caparulo: Meet Cap, but viewers at home never see that. This is a testament to the direction of David Higby. I’d imagine that many viewers might question the purpose of a director of a recorded stand-up comedy show–and it’s just this. Sure, he or she is tasked with capturing the emotion of the comic so that it resonates with everyone at home–but more importantly, it’s their job to capture the positive reactions of everyone in the live audience. It’s common knowledge that a live audience plays a pivotal role in how others receive the content of a live performance, and Higby does a beautiful job of capturing only the positive faces and reactions in the audience, while avoiding all of the negative (assuming there were at least some).
Caparulo, throughout the course of John Caparulo: Meet Cap, has a way of appealing to viewers through familiarity. He talks about McDonald’s, ranch dressing, and horrible drivers, and through his very familiar discourse, he is able to appeal to most everyone watching. My wife attempted (and failed) to find the comedy throughout John Caparulo: Meet Cap, but the constant relevance that existed throughout the stand-up special kept her intrigued, and I’d imagine that she’s not the only one that felt this way about Caparulo’s performance.
Again, comedy is subjective–and John Caparulo: Meet Cap will certainly not appeal to everyone. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a dud, a failure, or incompetent in the world of comedy or cinema. It reaches viewers through relevant content, through the wonderful direction of Higby, and by the familiarity of Caparulo as a whole. He feels typical, and so does his content–and as a result of these aspects of his performance, John Caparulo: Meet Cap will appeal to a wide-ranging audience.
Directed by David Higby.
Written by John Caparulo.
Starring John Caparulo.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10